Yesterday, we cataloged the health violations of four Georgetown-area food establishments that had been pegged as “high-risk” by the Health and Regulations Licensing Administration within the last year or so—Leo’s, Epicurean & Co., The Tombs, and Bangkok Bistro.

Today, we’re running an accounting of the nine remaining restaurants whose two most recent food establishment inspection reports we acquired through a February Freedom of Information Act request. 

We found that Wisey’s, the Starbucks and the Cosi in the Leavey Center, Booey’s, Tuscany Cafe, the former Philly Pizza, and Midnight Mug were listed on at least one report as “medium-risk” establishments, mostly due to non-critical violations. Only two establishments, Vital Vittles and Hoya Snaxa, were never listed as risky establishments.

In total, they garnered 9 critical and 16 non-critical violations. Again, six critical violations that cannot be corrected on site result in the closure of the restaurant. Owners are usually given five days to rectify critical violations and 45  for non-critical violations or they risk closure.

COSI

An August inspection of the Cosi in the Leavey Center found three critical violations. The establishment was cited for needing to clean food contact surfaces and its “warewashing, sanitizing, frequency methods.”

“Resurface, clean, and sanitize cutting boards” for sandwich preparation areas and other cutting boards, the report said. “Adjust hot water on hand sinks in rear and prep area so [temperatures] reach 110 degrees; repair hot water gauge on dish machine.”

An inspection five days later confirmed that Cosi had corrected all of the violations, and a notice it had been given after the previous report was abated.

TUSCANY CAFE

An August inspection found that Tuscany Cafe had one critical and two non-critical violation. Several food storage units were missing thermometers, many food items were not labeled and dated, and employees were cited for personal cleanliness, although the only written note about employees was that they were seen not wearing either hats or hair restraints when handling food. The establishment was given five and 45 days’ notice to make corrections.

A subsequent inspection 20 days later found no violations and abated the five and 45 days’ notices, but still listed Tuscany as a medium-risk establishment, which is not uncommon for an inspection following up on a notice to correct violations.

The Corp, Wisey’s, and how gross Philly Pizza was, after the jump!

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Photography by Helen Burton

And today the invisible hand of the market will bring you… better coffee!

Faced with stiffer competition (and by stiffer we mean “some”), the Corp recently switched their coffee supplier from JDKA, who they’ve used for over a decade, to Mayorga Coffee Roasters, a Maryland-based company run by a Georgetown grad.

According to Corp CEO Ryan Callahan (SFS ’10), the move is a win-win-win-win: better taste, lower cost (although not for coffee-drinkers: the savings will be spent on philanthropy and offsetting other rising costs to delay price increases on other goods), eco-friendly, and the company will donate 10% to the Fabretto Children’s Foundation.

So how much is this a response to Starbucks? Here’s what Callahan had to say about it:

Ah, yes. The corporate behemoth. I think the switch to Mayorga coffee is well-timed because it gives our customers better reasons to choose Corp coffee – from all accounts I’ve heard, it tastes better than before, and it reflects the sort of corporate social responsibility that you don’t find everywhere. Obviously, we wish that a direct competitor wasn’t allowed to open a store in the same building as ours, but what we have to do now is outcompete Starbucks.

We get a lot of medical students and hospital employees that walk over to Uncommon Grounds, and while we may lose some of that business to Starbucks, we’re going to let our customers vote with their feet and hopefully choose to go to a coffee shop where their money will stay in the Georgetown community. To do that, they need to expect friendly service, quality products, and low prices – and that’s what we intend to provide.

Photo from Flickr user Umair Moshin, used under a Creative Commons license.

Competition!  The free market!  Huzzah!

What was probably most remarkable about the opening of Georgetown University’s Starbucks yesterday, located in the empty halls of the Leavey Center, is how easily college students flock towards dimmed lights and jazz compilations. With decor not unfamiliar to anyone who’s ever stepped into a Starbucks before, the Leavey location offers all your bare essentials: a full menu’s selection of soy and diet friendly drinks, baskets of uniquely ground coffees, slightly stale baked goods, and a staff that has yet to completely learn how to do their jobs. Granted, it was their first day, but training did not seem to be instituted prior to the grand opening, as the barista had to scour through his binder in search of how to make me the perfect ‘Caramel Macchiato’.

But will it undercut the Corp’s well-established campus coffee hegemony? The Corp’s conveniently timed switch to certified Mayorga coffee, in an effort to bring the consumer a better cup of java while still saving the rainforest, may stop students from making the switch. And with Starbucks on such a constricting schedule (Monday – Friday 6:30 am – 5 pm), you’ll undoubtedly still find yourself in Uncommon Grounds, looking for that late night caffeine boost.

Freebie alert!  Starbucks is handing out free $5 gift cards and free drinks in Red Square today.   Great news for coffee drinkers, although probably a further sign of our impending doom to some.  $5 may not seem like much in terms of expensive frappuccinos, but it’s nothing to scoff at in these tough times.  Caffeine drinks aside, $5 will also get you 2 whole shares of AIG, 6 shares of Fannie Mae, or 80 shares of Washington Mutual.  The coffee’s probably a better investment, though.

Photo from Flickr user visualpanic used under a Creative Commons license.

Who needs to go to Israel when Georgetown has its own version of the Western Wall at the Starbucks on 3122 M St. NW? You don’t even have to pray at this one.

One day while I was sipping my iced tea, I noticed a piece of folded paper hidden in the crevasses of the brick wall. Being my nosy self, I had to dig it out and learn what was so important that it had to be placed in a Starbucks wall. To my surprise, I found a pleasant quote from Bright Eye’s “Method Acting.” My friend and I searched the cracks for more notes and found a few more from the same literary soul.

My friend and I thought this was a pretty brilliant find, so we decided we wanted to write our own notes and start a trend. With my friend’s paper and a pen from the Starbucks lady in hand, we got to work and left two notes of our own.

Now we want you to go explore the wall and leave your own words of wisdom. Remember that it is not forbidden to take out and read other people’s notes. 

Some of us are busy planning ways to sneak a free Frappucino, but for those of you who are too ethical or just not ballsy enough, Starbucks is now offering a new way to get your caffeine fix for cheap. Starting today, 16 ounce iced drinks are $2 after 2 pm – but only if you have a “treat receipt” stamp proving that you bought a drink that same morning.

The special (which was previously available only in Miami, Chicago, and Seattle) is pretty genius: after picking up their morning coffee, customers will justify an afternoon drink by telling themselves that “it’s only $2,” and those 16 ounces of ice-cold caffeine will keep them awake just late enough to be exhausted wrecks the next morning, starting the cycle all over again.

Via Examiner

The great Starbucks Purge is on, but at least DC’s Starbucks made it out mostly unscathed. Only one Starbucks in Washington (at 21st and L) is closing, which leaves us with 76 others to choose from. Other states weren’t so lucky, with North Dakota losing 26% of its shops (just 4), and Arkansas losing 21%.

Now that our Starbucks’ future is secured, here’s a grift I’ve had in mind for a while. I was in line at a Target Starbucks and ordered some chocolatey drink. The woman in front of me ordered a green tea.

I waited for my drink, but only a green tea came out. No one took the green tea. It took five minutes to realize that the woman in front of me had taken my chocolatey thing and was sucking it all up. When confronted by the baristas with her mistake, she stormed out with my drink. For my trouble, I got three free drink coupons.

I’ll be the customer who takes the wrong drink and throws a fit, you be the unwitting chocolate drink fan. We’ll make a killing. See how many  stores will stay open then!